Couples' Weekend in Napa
Getting there
If you’re flying to visit Napa, you have several airport options:
- Fresno -Yosemite International (FAT)
- Oakland International (OAK)
- Sacramento International (SMF) – I chose SMF due to proximity, flight times, and flight costs
- San Jose International (SJC)
- San Francisco International (SFO)
- Reno/Tahoe International (RNO)
2 days in Napa Valley
This visit to Napa Valley started with a girls’ weekend in Lake Tahoe with my best friend, Supriya. Then 3 days at Yosemite with my husband, Cameron. The full 10-day itinerary can be found here.
June 1st – I picked Cameron up at SMF and we drove to Napa. We arrived with time to check into our Airbnb and go out to dinner. The Oxbow Public Market was a great spot with a lot of options. We snacked a bit at different vendors and then ate dinner at C Casa.
After a full week of hiking, I was ready to relax! Day 1 in Napa began with a delicious breakfast at Boon Fly. After that, we had a full day of vineyard tours booked.
First, Stags’ Leap Winery (not to be confused with Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars) from 10:00-11:30 AM with wine and charcuterie. This ended up being in my top 2 favorites with its gorgeous property!
Next, Bell Wine Cellars from 12:30-1:30 PM. I was impressed by all of the vineyards that we toured, but this one didn’t have anything exceptional compared to the others.
Lastly, Hoopes Vineyard (same parking lot as Bell) from 2:00-3:30 PM. This one ranks high on my list for overall fun! It was filled with farm animals and huge vegetable gardens. I can’t tell you how happy I was to pet a goat while drinking wine in the California sunshine. Plus, the best charcuterie board of our 2 days!
Later that afternoon we were exhausted so we picked up takeout from Bounty Hunter and watched a movie.
Day 2 in Napa started EARLY. I surprised Cam with a sunrise hot air balloon ride – something we had never done! All I can say is what an amazing experience. When the balloon takes off, you don’t even feel it moving. Then you get to float around enjoying the never-ending views of Napa. After the ride, we stayed for brunch (I knew I would be hungry after a 5:30 AM tour).
This Adventure Aloft Hot Air Balloon Ride tour was booked through Napa Valley Aloft.
After our balloon ride, we had 2 more wine tours.
First, Shadybrook Estate Winery from 11:00-1:00 PM (but we ended up staying longer). Our tour here began with a horseback ride of the property. Between hot air ballooning, petting goats, and riding horses, it was getting more difficult to convince me to leave. After our ride, we enjoyed wine and charcuterie. Plus, the vineyard cat took a liking to us and hung out for snuggles.
Lastly, The Caves at 3:00 PM. This was a unique spot and very cool but I did prefer the gorgeous outside views of the other properties.
When we were done with our day, we went back to Oxbow Market and tried Live Fire Pizza for our final vacation dinner.
June 4th – Travel day – Airbnb checkout; Drive from Napa to SMF (1 hour); SMF to TPA; TPA to home.